welcome to "world news." tonight, breaking news in the case of little etan patz, who disappeared 33 years ago. a suspect reportedly says he abducted and killed the child. as america's most haunting cold case finally solved? hurricane watch. first storms of the season, gathering off both coasts tonight. calcium warning. some of the supplements taken by millions of americans could double the chance of a heart atta attack. and an abc news exclusive. prince william, talking about his grandmother, the queen. what was her advice before he kissed the bride in front of billions of people?

good evening. we begin with a big break in a very cold case. the disappearance of 6-year-old etan patz. many of us first saw his face on the side of a milk carton 33 years ago. and now, today, a thunder bolt. a confession from a man who says he knows what happened the morning the little boy vanished. so, what is the evidence that broke open this case? abc's david muir brings us the news tonight from the street where etan patz disappeared. david? >> reporter: diane, good evening. authorities tell abc news this evening that that arrest could come as early as tonight, involving a man who worked at a small grocery store right on that walk to the school bus, that etan patz made 33 years ago it was the first morning that his parents let him make that walk to school alone. tonight, it could be the break the parents of little etan patz have waited for, for three decades. abc news has learned pedro hernandez has confessed to strangling the 6-year-old boy, putting him in a box and leaving him somewhere in new york city.

etan patz vanished during that short walk to the school bus in 1979. his mother standing at the front door of their building and seeing him off. >> he turned and he walked half a block across the street. another full block across west broadway and then the bus stop was right here. >> reporter: so a block and half walk? >> yes. >> reporter: a block and a half, and for a 6-year-old, about 223 steps to the bus. >> his mother could actually see children starting to line up to get on the bus. >> reporter: she saw him off that morning and went inside. never seeing him again. authorities say it comes just one month after the fbi returned to that neighborhood and began digging in a basement the boy had walked past, where a handyman once worked. authorities didn't find anything, but abc news has learned the new headlines prompted someone in pedro hernandez's family to call authorities telling them you should look at our relative again. it's believed over the years, hernandez had talked to his family members about the crime.

abc news has learned investigators first went to his home 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, in new jersey, where he lives with his wife and daughter in an apartment. it is believed he has cancer. he's been questioned now for two days, hernandez telling that story about strangling etan. and abc news has learned investigators were aware of him before. what's not clear tonight is what they did or did not know back then. etan's parents still live on the same block. never changing their phone number. never moving. the little boy's father telling abc news just three years ago, he and his wife always held out hope their boy would one day come home. >> we didn't know what had happened to him. we didn't know where he might be. so, of course, the thought in the backs of our minds was always that we should be here for him. >> reporter: and that walk, changing the way parents sent their children off to school. >> etan's case was a case that changed america. millions of parents sat at home and thought there but for the grace of god goes my child. >> reporter: tonight, author lisa cohen, who wrote about etan

talked to etan's father. did you sense that he's hopeful this time? >> he was like -- waiting. >> reporter: waiting like he has been for -- >> he's waiting like he's waited for 33 years. >> reporter: those parents still waiting tonight. then president reagan declaring national missing children's day to mark the morning that etan patz disappeared. and diane, national missing children's day is tomorrow morning, 33 years ago to the day that 6-year-old walked to the school bus here. >> and walked, you said, 223 steps? >> reporter: yeah, our crew counted that today to walk to the school bus. and you can see right here there's a police presence outside the family home tonight, given the media attention on this case. but you're right. 223 steps, diane, to the school bus. we should point out that the mother could actually see the children lining up and it was at a time that this neighborhood allowed their children to walk to school, to the bus alone. and it changed the way this neighborhood behaved and neighborhoods across this country. parents never sending their children off to school the same

way again. >> that's right. thut so much, david. i want to bring in abc news legal analyst dan abrams right now. here we have a confession all the years later. first question, how do we know it's real? >> we don't. the authorities are obviously giving it some credence. they've got the fact that he lived in the neighborhood. they've got the fact that relatives are coming forward, saying he's talked about it. but the most important thing is going to be that the authorities have now questioned him for two full days. and i can assure you, they try to trick him. in high profile cases like this, you get people all the time who are claiming credit. >> right, right. >> and so they have to exclude him as much as they can. so, it's possible that they've suggested other crimes, said to him, oh, you know, we have another case, were you involved in that one, to see if he would confess to more than one. there's a lot of tricks and experience that are used by the authorities to try to make sure -- >> and is this confession the functional equivalent of a guilty plea or can -- do they

have to amess evidence after all these years, which they are going to have a hard time dog. . >> it's absolutely not a guilty plea. we see people confess and the lawyers get involved, say, wait a second, that was not a leg legitimate confession. a lot of the time, there are people that falsely confess. we see it all the time. certainly not the end of the inquiry. >> and evidence is going to be tough. >> yeah. because there is no physical evidence as far as we know. >> right. thank you, dan abrams. and now, we turn, it is official, the first hurricane of 2012 is childrening off the west coast of the united states, near mexico. its name is hurricane bud. at the same time, there are signs tonight that another big storm is building strength off the east coast, florida, about to get soaked this holiday weekend. here's abc's weather editor sam champion. >> reporter: the atlantic hurricane season officially starts june 1st, but tropical storm alberto jumped the gun last week, churning up the waters off south carolina.

and now, a tropical diser the balance could turn into tropical storm beryl over the weekend. two named storms haven't happened in 104 years. add in hurricane bud and this is something completely new. >> this is the first time we've had a pre-season named storm in both the atlantic and eastern pacific basins. >> reporter: despite all this early activity, noaa today is predicting a nearly normal hurricane season, with 9 to 15 named storms, including as many as eight that could grow into hurricanes. three of those are predicted to be major, with winds over 111 miles per hour. but predictions only mean so much. last year was the sixth year in a row without a major category 3 hurricane hitting land in the u.s. but it was still a very active season. in fact, there were 19 named storms last year, the third highest on record. category 1 hurricane irene caused near little $16 billion in damage last year, along the

east coast. >> if you live anywhere along the east coast or gulf coast, you need to be prepared each and every hurricane season. >> reporter: now, we've taken a lot of forecast models and put them on one graphic for you. look at the colored lines. a different forecast model. it shows you the idea that this low, if it becomes a tropical storm or not, stays off the east coast of florida for a good part of this weekend, diane. there's a 40% chance it becomes a tropical storm. but it's a rain maker and wind maker for the southeast coast no matter what it is. >> hopefully like scrabble and monopoly on their holiday. happy weekend to you, sam. >> reporter: thank you. and now an update on a story many of us woke up this morning. the nuclear submarine ablaze at a navy shipyard in maine. the fire is out, but seven people were injured and tonight, the sub is still smoldering. officials waiting for it to cool down enough so they can take a good look at the damage and there is no word on what caused the fire. officials do insist the ship's nuclear reactor was not

affected. it was not operating at the time and they also say there were no nuclear weapons on board. and, good news tonight for anyone looking to buy a house or refinance. the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage hit a new low. 3.78%. and that is the lowest rate recorded by freddie mac since they started keeping records more than 40 years ago. and now, healthy living and a wakeup call about something millions of us thought we were supposed to do. take calcium supplements. a new study out today in a major medical journal warns that the supplements make to strengthen our bones could be raising the risk of a heart attack. abc's medical editor dr. richard besser is here on this. so, everyone was told that everyone should think about taking calcium supplements. >> that's right. calcium is everywhere. from one drugstore today, we found 35 different products that all have calcium in them. and that doesn't even include

multivitamins. 61% of older women take calcium supplements. >> how does it affect their heart? >> reporter: well, the concern is that a big dose of calcium will put plaques into your arteries, just as putting calcium into your bones. you need calcium for healthy bones. but the concern is that supplements may be doing more harm than good. >> you say big dose of the supplement. what are we talking about here? should you take any at all? >> concern is, if one pill is good for me, two may be better. the number to remember is 2,000 milligrams. that is what is too much. that's where you have to start worrying about affects on your kid need neys and your heart. don't get your kucalcium from l pills. try to get it from what you eat every day. >> stay below 2,000. but what do you have to eat to get enough? >> let me show you. it's not as hard as it sounds. here -- here is a simple look. cereal, low fat milk, orange

juice, all fortified with calcium. some almonds. if you take that in, you are done for the day and you are getting it through your food, so, you don't have to worry it's going to do any damage to your heart. the the >> so that will do it. thank you so much, rich. and now, to a trauma in a california courtroom. a promising young football star who had been imprisoned for years on charges of kidnapping and rape was exonerated today. he won his freedom after he secretly recorded his accuser, a childhood friend, who admitted that she had lied. abc's cecilia vega is in los angeles. >> reporter: it was the moment brian banks had been waiting a decade for. >> the people's motion to dismiss this case -- >> reporter: he knew to be true all along, and all he could do was somebody. banks had been wrongly convicted, falsely accused of raping and kidnapping a childhood friend. today, a judge tossed out the charges and banks walked out of

court in pure jubilation, hoping for a new future. >> awesome. >> i feel like anything is possible and it is proven today by me getting my freedom back. i feel like this is just the first step to reinventing my life. >> reporter: in 2002, he had been a 16-year-old high school football star with dreams of an nfl career. but those hopes were shattered when he was convicted. banks always maintained the encounter was consensual. on the advice of his lawyer, he took a plea deal and spent five years in prison. >> it's more than i can describe, the things that i've been through and the things that i've endured. >> reporter: today, banks is an innocent man because that accuser tracked him down on facebook after his release and admitted she lied. they met and the meeting where his accuser recanted was recorded. this video was key to overturning the case. >> i may not ever get the answers as to why i was supposed to go what i went through.

but i know that i'm here today and i remain unbroken. >> reporter: now, at 26, banks is picking up where his once shattered dreams left off. working out again, hoping for another shot at life in football. cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. and coming up, we have a surprise warning about head injuries, for weekend athletes and parents of little players. it not longer takes a concussion to threaten health. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy.

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other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. we've heard so much recently on the danger of concussions in sports. but tonight, a new kind of concern. a kind of head injury that is much less obvious than a concussion. but it can have equally serious ramifications for athletes old and young. here's abc's paula faris. >> reporter: parents signing up their children for pee wee football. wrestling with a child's desire to play and their own growing worries. >> hopefully there won't be too much contact. >> reporter: not long ago, it was the thomas family signing up 9-year-old son owen. he would go on to be a star, all the way to captain of penn's football team. but in 2010, owen committed suicide. >> reporter: did you notice concussion symptoms? >> not that we ever knew.

>> reporter: any changes in his behavior? >> no, no we didn't. >> reporter: owen never had a documented concussion, but after his death, researchers examining his brain found cte, or chronic traumatic encephelopathy, and alzheimer's-like disease seen in retired nfl players. it is linked to symptoms like dementia, erratic behavior, and yes, suicide. >> part of the brain stem -- >> reporter: research shows the biggest risk in contact sports like football, soccer or hockey might not be concussions, but so-called sub con us cannive blows, those repeated hits to the head that owen and so many children reared on football experience. is. >> there's not enough symptoms that the player can detect a concussion. we have to make the head contact out of the game. >> never, ever come into your opponent with your head down. >> reporter: and youth leagues are. next month, pop warner will announce groundbreaking changes. children will be trained to use their shoulders instead of their head. a step forward, but for the

thomas family, it's too late. >> my determination is, i go through each day hoping some good might come out of his death, that other people will learn from it. >> reporter: paula faris, abc news, allentown, pennsylvania. and tonight on "nightline," more from paula. and an athlete who gave up a multi-million dollar career in the nfl, he was so concerned. and wants to speak out about all of this. and coming up next here, a foolproof bottle, are you ready for it? no more pounding the ketchup. here it comes. ening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

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and now, the future king of england, prince william, abc's katie couric sat down with the prince for an exclusive interview as the family gets ready to celebrate the diamond jubilee of queen elizabeth, her 60 years on the throne. >> reporter: seeing the queen at 86, it is hard to remember how young she was when her reign began in 1952. in fact, he may be the only person who can truly relate to what it was like for the queen to take the throne in her 20s. it seems as if it would have been so overwhelming. i guess you're pleased that you have a lot more prep time. >> yeah, definitely. well, i got a lot more practice now under my belt because of it. at that time she was a woman in a man's world. but she's, you know, done it brilliantly. >> reporter: when it comes to talking about his grandmother, or granny, the prince is only too willing to gush. do you remember that moment when

you thought, "oh my goodness. uh, my grandmother is kind of a big deal?" >> i still think she's just my grandmother, really. when i was younger, and my parents used to, you know, always sort of slap my hand if i was picking my nose, or if i was running around and screaming, i'd be told to shut up and i sort of understood that when i was around her i needed a little bit more, low key and a little bit more polite. >> reporter: that's not to say the queen isn't understanding and open-minded. take the little matter of planning a small intimate wedding at westminster abbey last year. >> i was given a list in the first meeting of 777 names. and not one of them on there i knew. and i wasn't too happy about it. so i rang her for a bit of -- sort of moral support and a bit of backup, and she said, "don't be so ridiculous, you know, get rid of the list and start from your friends." >> reporter: prince william's marriage to a commoner, catherine middleton, was dubbed a modern-day fairy tale. now, the duchess of cambridge can take notes from someone who knows a little something about how to be incredibly public, while remaining intensely

private. the queen, your grandmother, has never done what we're doing now. she's never sat down for an interview with a journalist. why do you think that's the case? >> because you ask lots of questions. >> and you can watch katie's full interview with prince william, prince harry and the royal family next tuesday, a two-hour special edition of "20/20," the jubilee queen, with katie couric, at 9:00 p.m. eastern. and we thank you for watching tonight. we're always here at abc news.com. "nightline," of course, later. and we'll see you again tomorrow night. until then, have a good evening. good night. this country was built by working people.

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